Stress is largely related to most of the accidents and as far as the childhood stress is concerned, it doesn’t only have an effect on the child’s academic performance but also might be the base of depression later on in life. You could perhaps take the definition of stress as a function of the demands placed on us and our ability to meet them.
Research suggests that chronically stressed children do pay a heavy price. In fact, they are at risk of cognitive damage, because their brains are not yet fully developed.
What Causes Stress?
There are several things that could possibly stress kids. Although, most of the stress are triggered by external factors but it also can come from within, often related to what we think we should be doing versus what we’re actually able to do.
Children exposed to domestic violence in the home score lower on IQ tests, and it would be surprising if psychological stress had nothing to do with this.
In preschoolers, separation from parents can cause anxiety. As kids get older, academic and social pressures create stress.
News and gruesome videos can cause stress among kids.
Moreover, also things such as illness, death of a loved one, or a divorce can stress children.
What Happens In the Brain when the child is stressed?
When researchers studied the brain of the stressed child, they noticed a couple of differences. Firstly, they saw that the hypothalamus released a hormone that rushed to the neighboring pituitary gland.
The chain reaction ran further and the pituitary gland then mobilized the production of a second hormone that runs via the bloodstream to adrenal glands above the kidneys. The adrenal glands activated adrenaline and cortisol. The Adrenaline accelerated the child’s heart rate and elevated the blood pressure. Cortisol pumped up the blood sugar level, elevating the child’s muscle and memory power and boosting the pain threshold. Although, researchers say that it is a good thing but this stress reaction is only considered helpful when the matter is about life-or-death.
Effects of Stress on Child’s Academic Performance
Psychological stress may crimp intelligence, and school performance, through several different pathways, of which inhibiting intellectual curiosity and exploration is the most obvious.
Stress hormones effectively undo the beneficial effects of enrichment and prune back the branching of dendrites. It is no exaggeration to say that high levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, are toxic to the brain.
Stress in childhood can impair intellectual function much as lead poisoning does but the effects may not be direct. A child who is afraid much of the time is likely to spend most of his time at home, or wherever he feels safest and is less likely to initiate social contacts, explore the physical environment, participate in neighborhood sporting activities, or visit a library.
What can be done about it?
It’s a well understood thing that exercise or any form of physical activity is a great way to deal with stress. Therefore, taking your child out to a playground or a park might help a lot.
Socializing is another important thing that needs to be taken care of by the parent. Children who are active and tend to socialize with other kids are comparatively less prone to stress.
Minor things like horrific news, gruesome videos or movies, domestic violence and also heated arguments in the house can have an adverse effect on child. Therefore, avoid all these in front of the child.
References:
1. Why childhood stress crimps academic performances
2. Stress and your child’s brain
3. Childhood stress
Edited by Vivek Chhetri
